By Susan Mann
Caribbean Net News St Thomas-St John Correspondent
Email: susan@caribbeannetnews.com

WASHINGTON, USA: US Virgin Islands Governor John deJongh Jr. appeared Wednesday morning before a meeting of the Interagency Group for Insular Affairs (IGIA) at Interior Department headquarters in Washington, DC.

The meeting, chaired by Deputy Secretary of Interior Lynn Scarlett, was the opportunity for governors and delegates from the offshore territories to present their priorities before a panel of officials from the federal government.

USVI governor John deJongh appears before a meeting of the Interagency Group for Insular Affairs at Interior Department headquarters in Washington, DC

As he did in submitted testimony to a House Subcommittee on earlier this week, deJongh again outlined five key issues, which included: resolution of differences between the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury department; excise tax cap on rum receipts; earned income credit cost sharing; removal of the Medicaid cap and establishment of a Border Patrol Unit in the territory.

DeJongh spoke of his commitment to a very different relationship between the Virgin Islands and the federal government.

“I realize how ineffectual we have been in our dealings with the federal agencies but my objective is to make certain that we can put an end to the federalization of the local government and I want to know what it will take to get this done,” deJongh said.

Acknowledging the past failures of some local agencies which eventually led to federal intervention, deJongh told the IGIA panel that he “wanted to address how to go forward and make the changes that are necessary.” In brief comments before the panel he said “it is not necessary to pretend that we are bigger or richer than we are, but neither can we be treated with contempt or disrespect.”

DeJongh said the only way to resolve the many outstanding issues in housing, education and environmental protection is to work together. “The Congressional responsibility of the territories is a constitutional duty, it is not optional. It is my commitment to make sure that we perform and that we do a better job.”

DeJongh said his administration will respond to audits and to the concerns of the federal agencies.

He said specifics will be worked out when people realize that “capping health benefits for people who are one-third below the lowest state income level is not just and worthy; that leaving the Virgin Islands still exposed to the flood over even poorer people from other regions is not just and that leaving VI taxpayers in a position that is arguably worse that if they were residents of foreign countries is not just.”

DeJongh restated “the need for the local and federal governments to work together to understand each other’s needs.”